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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday January 25, 1911
Miss Agnes Nestor Speaks on Behalf of Chicago Garment Strikers
Columbus, Ohio-Convention of United Mine Workers of America
-Monday January 23, 1911, Sixth Day-Afternoon Session
President Lewis stated that Miss Agnes Nestor of Chicago was in the convention and desired to address the delegates in behalf of the striking garment workers in that city.
President Lewis stated that Miss Nestor had credentials from the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Woman’s Trade Union League.
Delegate Walker, District 12—
I move that an invitation be extended to Miss Agnes Nestor to address the convention. (Seconded and carried by unanimous vote.)
President Lewis-
I take pleasure in introducing the young lady spoken of in the credentials received from Chicago. Miss Nestor will address the convention in behalf of the striking garment workers in that city.
Miss Agnes Nestor—
Mr. Chairman and Delegates to this Convention: I am here to tell you something about the garment workers’ strike now going on in Chicago and to make an appeal for funds. This is an extraordinary strike. It is a wonderful strike, it is a strike of unorganized workers. It began with the unorganized workers in one of the shops of Hart, Schaffner & Marx and spread to every shop of that concern and every other unorganized garment factory in Chicago until it reached 40,000 garment workers. It began the latter part of September and spread to the greatest extent in October. These people have been on strike now nearly four months.
I think every one knows something about the garment trade. As soon as we hear of the garment trade we think of a sweated trade. It is a sweated trade, and has been for years. A cut in wages started that strike. It was not the first cut-they had many of them before that. You know we can always be driven, but when we are driven too far we protest. That protest on the part of the garment workers in the factory of Hart, Schaffner & Marx was so loud it was heard among all the shops, and the others responded. They did not all go on strike because that one factory had grievances. They all had grievances. Their grievances were the result of disorganization. Probably in each shop the grievance was different. They had fines for every imaginable offense. If one of the workers dropped a piece of canvas on the floor a fine was imposed. Some of the young girls had to count out their own pieces of canvas, and if they counted one too many or not enough they were fined. If they lost a spool of thread, even though it was only partly filled, they were fined.
Not only was there a direct cut of wages, but there was an indirect cut. There were always changes in the styles and additional work was put on this or that garment. They tried to bring up the standard of the clothes and required better workmanship. Where formerly they required three stitches in sewing on a button they now require six, and where they used to allow a girl to run five or six stitches at a time they now require them to run the stitches one at a time. For this extra work no additional pay, or very little, was given.
The garment workers are putting up a splendid fight; they are determined to win. They have got to win. One of the largest concerns, Hart, Schaffner & Marx, settled a week ago. We want all the other workers to stay out until they get as good, or better. Many people think because Hart, Schaffner & Marx have settled they have all settled. Hart, Schaffner & Marx employed only 12,000 of the 40,000 that struck. Of course some of the remainder went into other trades or left the city; but it is estimated there are 20,000 still out. They have been supported largely from Chicago. A great many of the organizations have been paying an assessment of twenty-five cents, others have been paying more and some have been paying less.
No cash benefits are being paid. The strikers are being sustained through commissary departments. All the commissary supplies are bought through wholesale dealers. Of course we have had to furnish coal. We have not paid rent until the people were ready to be evicted. When we find that some of the strikers are about to be put in the street we get a few rooms and put them in. We are appealing to everybody to help. The churches have helped, the citizens have helped, there have been house to house canvasses. Of course the trades unions have been the most generous, as they usually are.
We believe this strike will not only benefit the thousands of garment workers involved, but that it will benefit the entire labor movement. We are already seeing the effect in Chicago. Other employers are dreading a recurrence of this in their trades. They understand that if a strike can be conducted so successfully by unorganized workers it can be conducted better by organized workers. These people came out without any money or any preparation; they were not called out by any organization; they simply called each other out. A committee from one shop would go to another shop, whistle, and the workers would come out. They felt that was their chance. They all had their grievances and had been wondering what they could do to help themselves. They were helpless, as unorganized people always are. Now there is a possibility of a splendid organization among the garment workers in Chicago as a result of this strike. They can have a thorough organization if this fight is won. It is a trade that is competitive and must be thoroughly organized.
I suppose you understand that firms like Hart, Schaffner & Marx and Kupenheimer’s do not have merely one shop; they have several shops scattered over the city. Their workers are absolutely at the mercy of the foreman. There is no chance to get to any one higher up. The manager of each factory must make a showing. The foremen are given a bonus on the profits they can turn out. That induces them to sweat the workers. If the people in such a trade do not have an organization to protect them it will soon be worse than any sweated trade we have in this or any other country. This is a chance to secure an organization in the garment trades and in other trades. I am sure unorganized workers in other trades are watching anxiously to see how the striking garment workers will come out. If they secure a victory it will mean that the workers in other trades will make an attempt to better their conditions.
I am going to ask you to do what you can for those strikers. The miners are good fighters and I know they will want to help other good fighters. If you help them you will be helping a great cause.
President Lewis–
You have heard the address delivered by this young lady . I believe most of the delegates understand the conditions in Chicago.
Delegate Houston, District 11–
I move you that we endorse the strike of the Chicago garment workers, and make our endorsement known by donating $1,000 from our treasury. (Seconded.)
President Lewis—
The chair is of the opinion that even in this case while I believe in assisting the Chicago strikers—you had better have one of your committees handle the question.
Delegate Germer, District 12—
I move as a substitute that a committee of three be appointed to draw up resolutions and make a recommendation as to what shall be done with the appeal. (Seconded and carried)
President Lewis appointed as a special committee to prepare a resolution and make a recommendation to the convention, A. F. Germer, District 12; William Houston, District 11 , and G. W. Savage, District 6.
[Photographs and emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Quote UMWA, re Chg Police v Strikers, Columbus UMWC, Jan 25, 1911
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=aRMtAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA440
Proceedings United Mine Workers Convention
Columbus, Ohio, Jan 17 to Feb 1, 1911
https://books.google.com/books?id=aRMtAQAAMAAJ
Monday, Jan 23, 1911, Sixth Day-Afternoon Session
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=aRMtAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA300
p303 – Agnes Nestor Speaks
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=aRMtAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA303
IMAGE
Agnes Nestor, Everybodys Magazine p 801, Dec 1908
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=vBYpAAAAYAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA801
See also:
Agnes Nestor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Nestor
Tag: Agnes Nestor
https://weneverforget.org/tag/agnes-nestor/
Tag: Chicago Garment Workers Strike of 1910
https://weneverforget.org/tag/chicago-garment-workers-strike-of-1910/
From Life and Labor of January 1911
-pub’d in Chicago by National Women’s Trade Union League
-see pages 4-13: “History of the Garment Workers’ Strike” -with photos
-find Agnes Nestor on pages 5, 7, 10.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3859487&view=2up&seq=14
-See May 1911 for auditors report, page 159.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3859487&view=2up&seq=168
United Mine Workers’ Convention
Wed Jan 25, 1911, Eighth Day
Report of Committee re Support for Chicago Garment Strike
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=aRMtAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA440
President Lewis read the following telegram:
Chicago, Illinois, Jan. 24 , 1911.
T. L. Lewis, President United Mine Workers of America,
Convention Hall, Columbus, Ohio.In the event of your convention voting assistance to the striking Garment Workers of Chicago, kindly see to it that the money is sent to the Garment Workers’ official Treasurer, Miss Jennie M. Flint, 275 La Salle Street, Chicago. Our organization sends greetings and best wishes for a successful convention.
(Signed) SAMUEL L. LANDERS,
Member Central Executive Board,
United Garment Workers of America.Delegate Germer, for the Special Committee appointed to consider a donation to the Garment Workers’ strike, read the following report:
Columbus, Ohio, January 23 , 1911.
We, your Committee to whom was referred the appeal for financial assistance for the striking Garment Workers of Chicago, beg leave to submit the following report:
First, We recommend that the Twenty-second Annual Convention of the United Mine Workers of America go on record as heartily endorsing the strike, and appeal to organized labor everywhere to render such financial assistance as is possible.
Second, We, the United Mine Workers of America in convention assembled, protest against and condemn in no uncertain terms the brutal treatment of strikers and strike sympathizers by the Chicago Police Department and the hired thugs of the clothing manufacturers, and we insist that it is not the function of any part of a municipal, state or national government to assist the capitalist class in a union-wrecking crusade.
Third, as an evidence of our interest in the strike, your Committee recommends that a donation of $500 be made to assist in carrying on the strike to a successful termination, the money to be forwarded as per the instructions contained in the telegram.
While we recognize that the amount is small compared with the principle at stake and the number of people involved, we feel that, owing to the financial strain upon our own organization to support strikes involving our own members, this limited donation will be appreciated by the Garment Workers at this time.
(Signed) ADOLPH GERMER
WILLIAM HOUSTON
G. W. SAVAGE.[Debate followed with delegates stating that the amount to be donated was insufficient.]
Delegate Boswell, District 6-
I do not agree with the brother in regard to the amount. I think it is sufficient. The United Mine Workers in the past have always opened their purse to every appeal for aid, no matter where it came from, when people were on strike. We have had in the past year a struggle that has drained the resources of our organization to the limit….We have men on strike and women and children living in tents in the winter time, shoeless, homeless and hungry. The money should be put into the Irwin field where it belongs. If we have money to throw away let us throw it over there where our brothers and their wives and children are suffering….
The motion to concur in the report of the special committee was carried .
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Union Maid – Billy Bragg and Friends
Lyrics Woody Guthrie